Chapter 10

I'm currently irritated. Why, you ask...

“Haha!”

Next to me, where I was deep in thought, Nina—whom I had been calling a cow...—was looking at me with a smug expression. It's been quite a while since I teamed up with Nina, and my efficiency has skyrocketed.

First, regarding the quest rewards, just like herb gathering, goblin slaying is a daily quest. Goblins damage crops and kidnap women, and apparently, they make the kidnapped women bear their children.

The reward for the goblin quest is one silver coin for every ten goblins, and I've been hunting thirty goblins a day.

Furthermore, with Nina around, I can now enter the mountain caves.

The reason I hadn't entered the mountain caves before is that places called dungeons and labyrinths are said to be filled with things that don't happen in the normal world, such as traps, monsters, and mazes. Entering without a scout is considered suicidal.

Even though she's a bit rotten, Nina is a thief, so she can detect and disarm traps.

The biggest benefit for me is the variety of monsters. Until now, I had only been fighting goblins, but the mountain caves are home to orcs, warbats (huge bats), goblin soldiers, and goblin knights, among other monsters.

Thanks to stealing skills from these monsters and earning experience points, my current stats have significantly improved.

Name: Yu Sato

Race: Human

Job: None

Level: 8

HP: 52

MP: 63

Strength: 16

Agility: 23

Stamina: 20

Intelligence: 29

Magic: 16

Luck: 1

Passive Skills:

Swordsmanship LV2

Strength Boost LV3

Scouting LV2

Active Skills:

Sword Techniques LV1

Combat Techniques LV2

White Magic LV1

Black Magic LV1

Blacksmithing LV1

Alchemy LV1

Unique Skills:

Otherworldly Magic Eye LV2

Plunder LV1

I learned 'Swordsmanship' from goblin soldiers and knights, 'Strength Boost' from orcs, and 'Scouting' from warbats.

Especially after learning 'Scouting,' I can now detect when Nina is tailing me (which she still does), and that's what I'm most happy about.

"Wasn't it good that we teamed up, huh♪"

"I'm sharing the rewards, materials, and magic orbs with you."

"I'm not talking about you, I'm talking about Nina!"

(We've been a party for a month now, so you should acknowledge it already.)

"Basically, you're a front-liner, but you can't even use combat techniques. I appreciate you detecting and disarming traps, but you should train more."

"Mmm... Then, Yu, teach me..."

Nina pouted and walked away.

Indeed, since teaming up with Nina, there have been no disadvantages. It's been all benefits, but I don't trust Nina. No, I shouldn't trust anyone easily.

In the past month, I've completed about 80% of the bath construction. I didn't expect building a bath from scratch to be this difficult. The wood can be obtained for free from the mountains, but carving it out and embedding an iron plate at the bottom to heat it with fire was challenging. Especially getting the iron plate, I couldn't ask Grandma Stella, so I used Nina.

Despite all this effort, my blacksmithing skill is still at LV1, and I haven't obtained any alchemy recipes, so it's still at LV1...

Do some skills level up easily while others don't?

If the bath is completed, Grandma Stella will be happy. As I was thinking about this while walking, I heard someone arguing.

Approaching without being noticed, I saw Hage's lackeys—Nuts and Coco, the brothers—and Nina arguing.

"Nina, are you saying you won't listen to us?"

"Of course. Why should I listen to you?"

"We're not asking for anything difficult. Just bring that kid to the place we say."

"No way."

"Don't get too cocky! We know you've been going to the mountain caves with that kid. We also know he's equipped with weapons and armor he got from somewhere!

Besides, Hage has been missing for a month! That kid is suspicious!"

It seems they suspect that Hage's disappearance is related to me. Regarding the equipment, I usually hide it, and Grandma Stella doesn't know, but someone in the village might have seen me during a hunt.

I checked the status of the others.

Name: Nuts Mische

Race: Human

Job: Warrior

Level: 8

HP: 75

MP: 20

Strength: 35

Agility: 16

Stamina: 41

Intelligence: 9

Magic: 10

Luck: 7

Passive Skills:

Spear Mastery LV1

Active Skills:

Spear Techniques LV1

Combat Techniques LV1

Unique Skills:

None

Name: Coco Mische

Race: Human

Job: Warrior

Level: 9

HP: 81

MP: 13

Strength: 50

Agility: 13

Stamina: 47

Intelligence: 9

Magic: 13

Luck: 7

Passive Skills:

Axe Mastery LV1

Physical Enhancement LV1

Active Skills:

Axe Techniques LV1

Combat Techniques LV1

Unique Skills:

None

Both of them, while their stats alone are formidable, I can handle them with my skills. Nina can also escape if she just runs.

"Thud!!"

A dull sound was heard. Nina seemed to have been punched in the face, and she was bleeding from the nose.

What is she doing? She should be able to dodge that!

"Hehe, you got cocky because we were holding back. Just listen to us and shut up."

Nuts, with a thin smile, hit Nina again.

"N... No..."

They can use combat techniques, but they should be able to dodge or run... I'm getting irritated...

Nuts and Coco continued to toy with the crouching Nina, holding back their strength.

"Why are you protecting such a creepy kid? Protecting a kid like that won't do you any good, hehe."

"W... I... I will... become... Yu's... friend...!"

Nina, with a face covered in tears, snot, and blood, shouted.

What a stupid woman... Stupid people just get taken advantage of...

"Ha ha ha! You're stupid!"

I'm getting irritated... Why am I getting irritated...

"Uhehe! Let's see how long you can hold out."

From the lecherous look in their eyes, it was clear they were thinking of doing more than just hitting Nina. Nuts forcibly removed Nina's leather jacket.

"S... Stop...!"

"Hehe... I'll take good care of you."

"Soon, you'll listen to us obediently, hehe."

At that moment, a terrifying killing intent was released from behind.

"Ah!?"

Nuts and Coco, being adventurers, immediately took up their spear and axe. Yu stood there with a longsword in hand.

"Y... Yu...?"

Nina looked at Yu with a disbelieving expression.

"Mi... Nina... needs... help..."

"Huh? You! How long have you been here!! Just in time, I have something to ask you!"

Nuts, despite his shock, barked.

"Your longsword and leather armor!? So it was you!!"

Coco, realizing that Yu's equipment belonged to Hage, turned red and charged at Yu.

"Die, you brat!!"

"Don't you dare touch Nina, you scum!!"

Yu used a two-hit sword technique, aiming for the neck and abdomen.

Thud...

The attack to the abdomen was deflected by an axe, but the neck attack hit, and blood spurted from Coco's neck.

"W... What...? G... Gah... No magic words... Two... hits..."

Coco fell, unable to finish his sentence.

"Huh? Why can you use a two-hit technique? And without magic words? And there was almost no preparatory motion!!"

Nuts, in a panic after seeing his brother killed by a kid he had underestimated, approached Yu.

"Don't group me with fools who are satisfied with just learning skills."

Yu swung his sword at Nuts's head. The speed of the blade, coming from a child, was unbelievable.

"Ah!"

Nuts managed to block with his spear, but the force was extraordinary.

Despite using both hands, Nuts was being pushed back by Yu's one-handed attack.

"W... Wait!!"

"I won't wait."

Yu cut Nuts down, spear and all.

"Y... Yu..."

Yu took out a cloth and wiped Nina's face, then cast a healing spell.

"Why didn't you resist?"

"Because I didn't want to cause trouble for Yu and Grandma Stella."

"I hate fools."

Despite being scolded, Nina was smiling.

"I'm angry! Why are you smiling..."

"Because Yu came to help, and... Nina... hehe."

"...That's why."

"Huh?"

"Because we're friends... Helping is natural, right?"

Yu smiled slightly as he said this.